The trouble with taking the mickey out of dance is that dance is already pretty funny by itself. Men in tights, ridiculous peasant costumes ... need I say more? But in Paul Taylor's Offenbach Overtures (1995), a pastiche of French dancing in the Belle Epoch, both he and his performers pull off the task with a jaunty feather in their ridiculous comedy caps. The men are resplendent in scarlet all-in-one Lycra and Napoleon hats; the women are Eurovision-era Bucks Fizz-alikes in frothy net skirts over black tights and oversized scarlet ruffles on their heads. This is the playful, wonderfully witty aspect of veteran US choreo-grapher Taylor's multi-faceted oeuvre.

Black Tuesday, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh By John Percival for The Independent

The general assumption that the capital gets the best of everything in the arts doesn't altogether hold water. Twice recently, for instance, I have seen touring dance companies perform works on the road that were omitted from their Sadler's Wells seasons but proved superior to some that were shown in London.

One of them, Paul Taylor's Black Tuesday, had only a single showing in Britain, at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. Luckily this was filmed by the BBC, who had specially requested the piece, so there will be further opportunity to catch it. Do so if you can, because it is an example of the best living choreographer at the top of his form.

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